An Experiment Reveals Human Genes Can Be Controlled With Electricity. New research from ETH Zürich in Switzerland could see future wearable devices (with perhaps a few implants and a touch of genetic engineering) boost our health directly.
Electricity Can Control Your Genes?
Experimental technology designed by the Swiss scientists used small pulses of electricity to trigger insulin production in test mice with specially designed human pancreatic tissues. They’re calling it an ‘electrogenetic’ interface, and it could be used to kick target genes into action when we could use a helping hand.
“Wearable electronic devices are playing a rapidly expanding role in the acquisition of individuals’ health data for personalized medical interventions,” the researchers write in their published paper.”However, wearables cannot yet directly program gene-based therapies because of the lack of a direct electrogenetic interface. Here we provide the missing link.”
Encouraging insulin production directly could help someone with diabetes, for example. In this study, human pancreatic cells were implanted into mice with type 1 diabetes, which were then stimulated using a direct current from acupuncture needles.It’s known as the direct current (DC)-actuated regulation technology, or DART for short, and the team behind it says that it brings the digital tech of our gadgets and the analog tech of our biological bodies together.
The electricity generated non-toxic levels of reactive oxygen species, energetic molecules that – when properly managed – can start a process that activates cells engineered to respond to the change in chemistry. Changing how the cell’s DNA is regulated by messing with their epigenetic ‘on/off switch’ molecules can potentially helping with a variety of conditions affected by genetics.
An Electrogenetic Interface To Program Mammalian Gene Expression By Direct Current
Wearable electronic devices are playing a rapidly expanding role in the acquisition of individuals’ health data for personalized medical interventions; however, wearables cannot yet directly program gene-based therapies because of the lack of a direct electrogenetic interface.
Here we provide the missing link by developing an electrogenetic interface that we call direct current (DC)-actuated regulation technology (DART), which enables electrode-mediated, time- and voltage-dependent transgene expression in human cells using DC from batteries. DART utilizes a DC supply to generate non-toxic levels of reactive oxygen species that act via a biosensor to reversibly fine-tune synthetic promoters.
In a proof-of-concept study in a type 1 diabetic male mouse model, a once-daily transdermal stimulation of subcutaneously implanted microencapsulated engineered human cells by energized acupuncture needles (4.5 V DC for 10 s) stimulated insulin release and restored normoglycemia. We believe this technology will enable wearable electronic devices to directly program metabolic interventions.
Source: https://www.nature.com/
